Yellow-cheeked Vole

Yellow-cheeked vole, Microtus xanthognathus

The yellow-cheeked vole, or taiga vole, is an extant species of rodent that is currently found in central Alaska and northwestern Canada. As with many other rodents, this species serves as a good proxy indicator of local paleoenvironmental conditions, and its presence in Wisconsinan-aged deposits in the Midwestern U.S. indicates that regional temperatures were much cooler during this period.

Yellow cheeked vole, Microtus xanthognathus

Yellow-cheeked vole, Microtus xanthognathus, study skin in the zoological collections of the Illinois State Museum, Springfield. 

Order: 
Rodentia (Rodents)
Family: 
Cricetidae (Lemmings and Voles)
Statistics: 

Length: 18-21 cm (7-8.25 in)

Weight: 90-115 g (3.1-4 oz) 

Status: 
Migrated